I’ve decided to break down and buy myself a car. I’ve done some research and some snoopy snooping on the net, and I’ve sort of decided that I like the Jetta. They seem to be very reliable, I’ve never known anyone that wasn’t delighted with theirs, and they’re kind of cute to boot.
So - does anyone have anything to say about this? Any opinions? I mean, I haven’t bought anything yet. Any particular model better than any other? Any engine that you’ve heard horror stories about?
Also in the running are:
Volvo - although they tend to be a bit more than I want to spend.
Toyotas or Hondas - however, this just ain’t gonna happen - I don’t like ANY of these cars and I don’t know why. I HATE the civic. The yaris is just stupid looking and much like the echo which i’ve driven and hate. Don’t like turcel, Matrix, etc so there you go.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT - uh, yah, were do I begin.
So, if you have any opinions about the Jetta, or another car that you think I should consider, please post them here. FWIW, “financing deals” or “dealer incentives” aren’t really factors in my decision, so if that’s the only selling feature, no need to include it.
I’ve heard really bad things about the quality of current Volkswagen vehicles, but I am by no means an expert so i’ll let someone else add their thoughts.
I considered buying a Jetta at one time, but I decided to keep my 924 for a while longer. I liked the very firm seats (I have no idea if they are still as firm) and the large trunk.
I saw a lot of Jettas on the freeways throughout the 1990s. One thing struck me: Most of them were older and seemed rather ratty. Oxydised paint, poor panel fit, dirty. It just seemed that their owners didn’t keep them up. Some of them were fairly noisy. I don’t know if this ‘rattiness’ was because of the car, or because of their drivers. Maybe the Jetta appealed to people who don’t take care of cars?
I’m not very ‘image conscious’ when it comes to cars. But I do like a car to be presentable. Seeing so many ratty Jettas sort of turned me off from them.
I thought about a Golf a few years ago. But then I read some horror stories about dealer support and decided that maybe VW was not a company I wanted to deal with.
Humm - interesting. I do know that since the overhaul in 1999, the Jetta has consistantly been rated in the top 2 or 3 of both expert and consumer choice of car.
As I’m looking at a 2004 or 2005 I think that puts me in the clear.
I was unaware of any sort of “volkswagon” problems and would be interested if either of you have any sort of cites. I’m assuming that neither of you have actually owned a Jetta, right?
VW has definitely had some up and down with their quality record in the last few years. Electrical problems have always been an issue for Volkswagon, but other component reliability problems have popped up with various model years. The main powertrain–engine and transmission–seem to be robust, but they can nickel and dime you to death with failures of various pumps, CV joints, ignition system, which have all been issues. My boss bought a Jetta for his daughter, and they had numerous problems before she finally totalled it. I hear similar stories from others. On the other hand, for a relatively inexpensive car, it ofters good performance and excellent handling.
Rick can tell you all about Volvos and what to look for; he’s a OEM tech trainer and knows them forward and back. I’m personally an advocate of Subarus; I’m on #6, and with one exception (the unfortunate Justy) they’ve been excellent, hardy, reliable vehicles with excellent handling and in the most recent incarnations (Impreza WRX, Forester XT, Legacy GT) outstanding performance. The All Wheel Drive system is truly superior in inclement weather , too, far more so than high-riding SUVs.
We had an '86 Jetta diesel which we drove till it literally fell apart in a parking lot. It was a great car.
We now have a, '03 Jetta diesel with just over 100K miles on it. It gets wonderful mileage - over 50MPG on the road as long as my husband the leadfoot isn’t driving. The big trunk and the fold-down seats give it a great hauling capacity. It’s pretty comfortable, the sound system is decent, and if they still made diesel wagons, I’d get one to replace my van. The only non-routine maintenance issue we’ve had is a sensor in the seat belt system that affects the airbag - our daughter had the same problem in her '01 Beetle, so I suspect it’s not just a fluke. Still, we’ve been very pleased.
Oh, and we don’t go to a dealer for maintenance - we’ve got a great local garage.
No, I haven’t owned a Jetta. I looked for a certain ‘dealer horror story’ cite that was posted on vwvortex three or four years ago. I couldn’t find it. AFAIK the guy made an appointment for some maintenance on his Golf, and the dealership kept jacking him around. IIRC he’d set aside time to take the car to the shop, only to be told to make a new appointment. He finally got the car into the shop, and they got some overspray (I don’t remember if it was paint, or something else) on it. And something that had been working before no longer worked. Might have had some damage as well. When he complained, they wouldn’t do anything about it. So he posted to vwvortex and the dealership sued him for defamation. I’ve read negative comments about Volkswagen dealers other than that one. And I’ve seen a few negative comments from VW owners.
VW service varies widely by location. When I first bought my Cabrio in 2002, it was from a small dealer that provided great service. I had a few small warranty-covered issues that they handled promptly, and they did my regular service for not much more than you’d pay at a quick-lube type place.
A year or two later they sold out to one of the local auto-mall behemoths. The service just plain sucked, and the oil change + tire rotation cost (seriously) three times what it did at the other place. I went there exactly once.
So it’s hard to make generalizations about VW service. I’ve been very happy with my Cabrio overall.
I had a 98 Jetta; bought it new and kept it for maybe 5 years (80K miles aprox). I’m not sure I would buy another one. It was fun to drive and I liked the styling (old body style, though I like the new ones too). The seats and interior held up well, though some exterior trim was falling off by the third year and the paint started to fade despite being waxed regularly. So here’s why I would hesitate to buy another:
A few days after I drove it off the lot I noticed the clutch was slipping a bit. I took it to the dealer who told me it was probably just “breaking in.” Whatever, it was under warranty. So at 9K miles the car starts popping out of gear above 50, which is highly annoying on a road trip where it’s all freeway. I get it back (slowly) to the dealer and they have to replace the entire transmission because there was a seal missing. I was told that should there be any future problems with the clutch they would not be covered under warranty because you only get one clutch replacement, even though it was not my fault and I tried to get it fixed before it ruined the whole transmission.
When I bought it, the car had a 10 year powertrain warranty. At the 4th year, it just started turning itself off if you got above about 5 mph. I had to have it towed to the dealer, who told me that just looking at the car would cost me $170. But it’s still under warranty, says I. Well, I have to pay the mechanics, says the dealer, who was a total bitch. We went back and forth, me having no real power to negotiate, and I end up taking it to a guy who specializes in VWs. He resets the computer and (something else, I forget). Cost about $400. There were a couple of other electrical problems, the main one being that if I locked the car (power locks) and then tried to unlock it when I returned, it would set the alarm off and the alarm would not be turned off, even with the key in the ignition. Sometimes putting the key in the trunk would work, sometimes not. I stopped locking the car after a few times of this, quite embarrassing. There was something else but it slips my mind right now.
Anyway, I liked the car for the most part, but for reliability I would check out Honda or Toyota (sorry). How much are you looking to spend? I test drove an Acura TSX last year, and it was one of the most fun cars I’ve ever driven (and it was even an automatic, which I loathe). I think they start around 25K.
Even though I have had many moments of cussing at the thing, I would probably buy another one. It has a nice sporty feel and hugs curves very well. Even though they are relatively inexpensive, you can still feel the German roots of the car when you drive it.
Indeed :(.
One fine evening my wife and I were getting ready to take the children off to church for a program when one of them opened the back-left window. I heard a click and then a thunk and then I simply explained that that was the sound of $400 falling down the inside of the door and told everyone to go in the house so I could voice some very un-Christian thoughts.
It was the third window to go.
They used to use a cheap plastic clip in part of the mechanism. The replacement part has a brass clip.
The passenger-side window is still original – I never use it, knowing that is only a matter of time.
There are 2 Jettas in my parking lot. An old one that looks just as Johnny LA has described although it runs just fine. The other is only a couple years old and still looks mint. If I see the owner in the next couple days I’ll ask about it’s mechanical reliability so far.
Cool - I’ve sort of started thinking about Acuras as well - for some reason they never occured to me until just now (too many drugs in the '60s I guess).
Any thoughts on the Accura RSX? Any engine that’s better or worse than the others? Yah? Nay?